Aceh ] ⓘ; Acehnese: Acèh [atʃeh]), officially the Province of Aceh , is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra isl with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west, Strait of Malacca to the northeast, as well bordering the province of North Sumatra to the east, and shares maritime borders with Malaysia and Thailand to the east, Maldives, British Indian Ocean Territory of the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka to the west, Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and Myanmar to the north. Granted a special autonomous status, Aceh is a religiously conservative territory and the only Indonesian province practicing the Sharia law officially. There are ten indigenous ethnic groups in this region, the largest being the Acehnese people, accounting for approximately 70% of the region's population.